I am amazed to find the Pasadena Star-News becoming a little clone of its larger competitor, the Left Angeles Times.
In endorsement after endorsement this political season, it has either endorsement an incumbent or a Democrat. Two exceptions are for attorney general. They endorse Republican Steve Cooley over Democrat Kamala Harris. And for senator the Star-News endorses Republican Carly Fiorina over Sen. Ma'am Boxer.
But today's Star-News endorsement of Democrat Jerry Brown over Republican Meg Whitman is rather bizarre to say the least.
In this time of needing a real outsider to clean up the mess in Sacramento, the Star-News endorses Mr. Brown because, and you have to read the whole thing to get here, he can cut deals.
Really, is that what we need in a time when the state of California is an economic basket-case? In which unemployment is over 12%? When the budget is in an over $19,000,000,000 deficit?
The endorsement claims that Mr. Brown cut taxes, spending and balanced budgets. Two out of three are not exactly correct.
Mr. Brown did not cut taxes. In fact, he was vehemently opposed to Proposition 13, the measure that froze property taxes and saved many from having to sell their homes because of the oppressive, constant rise in property taxes. The only reason he went along with implementing the popular measure is that it won overwhelmingly in 55 of 58 counties. Throughout his two-terms as governor, Mr. Brown was constantly looking for more "revenue" to increase government spending. Mr. Brown support a hike in the gas tax. Supported measures to increase taxes on not-so-favored business and decrease for those favored by the governor. In other words, picking winners and losers by tax code.
In reality, Mr. Brown left California is worse shape than when he began his term as governor in 1975.
Another reason the Star-News states for endorsing Mr. Brown is his commitment to a "green" economy. Specifically about Red China and Texas leading the way in alternative energy innovation.
What the Star-News does not note is that Mr. Brown opposes Proposition 23, which would suspend the California global warming law until unemployment gets down to 5.5% for four consecutive quarters. Sure, few if any media supports Prop 23. Yes, all the environmentalists, dirt-worshipers and their allies oppose Prop 23. And those that do not want to be on the wrong side of so-called Globaloney Warming oppose Prop 23. But, please explain where all the "green" jobs are in California? If we look at this recent study, implementing the global warming act full steam ahead will have a net loss of 500,000 jobs as soon as 2012.
One of those that has led this scam all of his elected life is, TA DA ! ! Jerry Brown.
And let us look at how many different offices and other elections Mr. Brown has run in.
In 1969, Mr. Brown's first foray in elective politics was for a seat on the then new Los Angeles Community College Board. A seat he won.
And Mr. Brown used that to parlay into winning the Democrat nomination and subsequent election to Secretary of State in 1970.
Long time on that community college board, eh?!
And in 1974, he ran for the Democrat nomination for governor and defeated Republican Houston Flournoy by a slim margin.
For some reason, Mr. Brown thought he would make a great president after less than two years as governor. Sounds kind of familiar, doesn't it? So, Mr. Brown stepped into the 1976 presidential contest running for the Democrat nomination. Of course he lost to the worst president in the 20th century, James Earl Carter. So, Mr. Brown went back to the drudgery of being governor.
Yet that did not stop him from winning a second term as governor in 1978.
Once again, the presidential bug got to Mr. Brown. But this time it was half-hearted and not much of a serious campaign. Of course Mr. Carter ran, got the nomination for a second term and trounced by Ronald Reagan.
Now Mr. Brown did not make the mistake of running for a third term as governor in 1982. He wanted to move up to the senate. Yes, Mr. Brown did win the nomination against token opposition. But, alas, Mr. Brown lost this race to Republican Pete Wilson.
One would think Mr. Brown would just slither away.
But nooooo!
Mr. Brown once again believed that the American people really, really wanted him as president. He ran a third time and was trounced by a successful Southern governor by the name of William Jefferson Blythe Clinton.
So desperate for a political platform he ran for mayor of Oakland, California. And of course he won two terms. First in 1998 and again in 2002. One can suppose in Oakland, Mr. Brown would be mistaken for a conservative. After all, he was succeeded by the irrepressible left-wing congressman Ron Dellums.
And if that was not enough, Mr. Brown ran for the Democrat nomination for Attorney General and won election to that post in 2006.
Eleven times running for office. Over 40 years in one kind of office or another.
And the worst thing that Mr. Brown did as governor was signing legislation that allowed collective bargaining for state employees.
Yes, it is true that the cost skyrocketed after Mr. Brown left office. It was his old chief-of-staff, the Gray Era, Gray Davis, that as governor signed deal after deal that bankrupted the state. But it was setting the wheels in motion that Mr. Brown must be blamed for.
No, I am sorry Pasadena Star-News, Jerry Brown is not what California needs in this time of real crises. Meg Whitman is not perfect, but she is not related to a Kennedy-by-marriage. She has a real record as an business executive, not as an action star that appears to have had one knock on the noggin too many. We need someone not beholden to state labor unions and a slew of special interests.
I am disappointed, but not surprised that the Pasadena Star-News would endorse Jerry Brown for governor. Let us, the voters, not make the mistake the Star-News made. I urge you to vote for Meg Whitman for governor.
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